The Ada Cougars rolled past the Durant Lions Friday night with a 56-21 victory. The Cougars and Lions were both 0-2 going in to the heated game.

For years the Ada/Durant rivalry has run deep, tracing all the way back to when Durant started and ended Ada’s 42-game winning streak in the 90s.

This win left many Cougar players with a renewed spirit continuing their first season new head coach Chris Berus and a largely new coaching staff.

“It felt really good and gave us a lot of positive momentum,” said senior Christian Maloy.

The team feels confident after going to Durant’s home field and getting a blowout win against a team with a long history of bitter rivalry.

Coach Robert Powell, who is also a former Cougar player, remembers previous match-ups against Durant.

Powell said this year’s win over the Lions felt “just like it used to.”

This first victory will put them in a better position to go into district play with a high morale.

Ada’s first game in district play will be a home game against the Bethany Bronchos Sept. 22 with at 7:30 p.m.

With a new found confidence and the inspiration to work harder everyday, the Cougars will take the field again this week, hoping to win another game on their road to their 20th gold ball, under Berus’ leadership.

“Friday night against Durant we executed well offensively, executed well defensively, did some good things on special teams,” said Berus. “It builds a lot of confidence and lets us know that the work we’ve been doing day in and day out is paying off.”

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Photo: Kennedy Berus